About Permitting

As required by state sediment control law, Environment Article, Title 4, one of the main responsibilities of the Garrett Soil Conservation District is the review and approval of erosion and sediment control plans.

 

The law requires that prior to initiating any activity that disturbs more than 5,000 square feet or involving more than 100 cubic yards of earth, an erosion and sediment control plan be submitted to and approved by the local soil conservation district.

 

Types of activities that require permitting are the building of structures, timber harvesting, building roads, and any other activity that disturbs more than 5,000 square feet, or more than 100 cubic yards, of earth.

  • Stormwater Management/Grading Permit Fees should be paid to the Garrett County Permits & Inspections Division when you make your application for the Grading Permit.
  • Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (E&S Plan) review fees need to be paid to Garrett Soil Conservation District. You will first apply for a Grading Permit at the Garrett County Permits & Inspections Division, and they will send us your plan for review. You should pay your Erosion and Sediment Review fees once you have applied for your Grading Permit. We cannot begin the E&S review until fees are paid.

You can either pay for the E&S Plan review on this website with a Debit or Credit Card or you can pay with check or money order by mailing, or coming, to our office in person. Make checks payable to Garrett Soil Conservation District and mail to: 1916 Maryland Hwy, Ste C, Mt. Lake Park, MD 21550. Our office is open 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday – Friday. Please be advised that there is a small processing fee added to debit or credit card payments. 

 

We will not be able to start reviewing your plan until fees are paid.

 

Please be advised that if we have to ask for revisions there will be an additional $200 charge. Therefore, please read the available documentation on this site to make sure you have addressed everything in your plan before you submit it.

How to Apply

  1. Read the instructions for your project type. Projects available are: Commercial or Multi-Family, Single Family, Timber Harvest, Mining, Roads, or Other.
  2. Take advantage of the resources we have provided on this website to help you with your plans.
  3. If you are not an engineer, you may need to consult an engineer to design your plans because most plans have specific things that are needed. Engineers would be aware of these things. If you do not have everything, there are charges for revisions.
  4. If you are planning to do a Timber Harvest, you need to have someone that is experienced in what is needed for a Timber Harvest plan. If everything is not included, it will be sent back for revisions. That will result in an additional $200 charge per time it needs to be returned to you. There are instructions on the website, but if you do not feel competent to complete everything that is needed, it is strongly suggested that you hire someone who is knowledgeable. You will need to include all of the necessary maps, and they must be technically accurate. Pencil drawings are not acceptable.
  5. Once your plan is ready, you will need to pay the fee for Erosion and Sediment Review and submit the plan to the Garrett County Permits and Inspections Division for a Grading Permit. Plans will not start review until the fee is paid. There is an additional fee for the Grading Permit itself which will be charged when you apply for the permit.

Paying the Fee on the Website

  1. Click “Buy Permit” on the menu at the top of the page.
  2. For some of the permit categories, you need to add the base permit and then add additional elements such as either acreage or square foot. For example, if you are doing a Timber Harvest, you will add Timber Harvest and then select the “Timber Harvest Acres” item. You will need to add the number of acres in the amount area for that item. So, in order for everything to be complete, you must have both “Timber Harvest” and “Timber Harvest Acres” in your cart. This is the same for construction. In the base permit there is an acreage or square footage that comes with that base permit. But if your plan covers a larger area, you will need to add “Additional Square Feet” or “Additional Acres” to your cart.
  3. Cash out your cart. Please be advised that there is a processing fee for payment with debit or credit card. Alternatively, you can pay by check or money order by either mailing, or bringing, it to our office.

Paying the Fee through Our Office

  1. Check this website to make sure you have completed your plan correctly and that everything needed is include. There is a charge for revisions.
  2. You can calculate the costs of your permit by looking at the “Buy Permit” page of this website. 
  3. Either mail in your fee or bring it to our office. Checks should be made out to Garrett Soil Conservation District. Our office is located at 1916 Maryland Hwy, Ste C, Mt Lake Park, MD 21550. Make sure you include the name of the plan in the memo line of your check.
  4. Our office is open Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.
  5. If you have questions, you can reach us at seth.metheny1@maryland.gov

Important Things to Note

House under construction surrounded by disturbed soil
  1. Revisions – There are now charges for revisions. It will cost you $200 every time we have to return a plan to you to revise. When we have to request revisions, it means that someone has gone over your plan, made comments so that you will know what is missing, and sent that plan back to you. We, then, keep it in our system waiting for your updated plan. Once you submit revisions, someone needs to again go over your old plan and your new plan together. It is labor intensive, and the fee is necessary to pay for time spent by employees. To avoid a Revision Fee, you need to make sure you submit everything the first time.
  2. Concept Plans – Concept plans are also $200. If you submit a plan asking for guidance from our office, the cost will be $200. You need to pay the $200 fee before we will look at your plans. 
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